Warrior Achilles In Miller's The Iliad

Although there are numerous takes on Homer’s, “The Iliad”, none of them seem to express the more vulnerable side of our Greek heroes quite as beautifully as Miller has. Miller’s novel, “The Song of Achilles”, is her take on Homer’s epic poem from Patroclus’ perspective (son of Menoetius, best friend of Achilles). I am yet to read “The Iliad” however this story was enjoyable despite my mediocre knowledge on it. In “The Song of Achilles”, Miller captures and expresses the human aspect of the great warrior Achilles by giving us glimpses of emotion and insecurity from the challenges he faces. We don’t really see this side to him as he is often characterised as being an almighty God-like warrior who does not fear anything. In other retellings of

the Iliad and stories based on the Trojan War, Patroclus is depicted as weak and feminine with little background information. His character, as well as Patroclus’, is given more depth in this interpretation.

The narrative voice of Patroclus was a pleasure to read as it was filled with vivid imagery and profundity.

There were quite a few wise gems in there such as about how “you can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature”. It made Patroclus' character feel even more exposed and vulnerable than he actually was, but that was to his advantage. His kind hearted and forgiving nature is communicated and you can’t really help developing affection for this boy in a world full of violence. Initially, he is quite meek and naïve, however he grows as a character and learns to defend himself and others such as how he promised that he would “kill [Agamemnon] if he had [raped Briseis]… killed him” P279. To aid in storytelling there is use of similes, metaphors and personification by Miller. For example, she describes how a girl’s eyes were “black pools … [that]… would drink [Patroclus] in” P251. This appealed to me as it made me engage and gave me a significantly better idea as to what was currently happening in the

scenes.

Her descriptive and lyrical prose was a pleasure to read. Her use of sibilance and techniques akin was abundant such as how she described how the plague had struck the Achaean camp like a “quick shaft of an arrow” P261. This created a very smooth tone that was, I have to admit, a tad dreary at times but other than that, it read like a song; lyrical and charming.

It also explores homosexuality as Miller has woven a romance between Patroclus and Achilles. It starts out as an unlikely friendship due to their statuses, however through their experiences together they grow closer. Eventually it evolves from great admiration and wariness to unconditional love and trust such as how Patroclus “would follow [Achilles], even into death”. The way in which Patroclus loves Achilles and accepts him for his flaws is admirable because it communicates that love is about acceptance instead of possession.

One of the reasons why I adore this book is the way in which Miller has been able to give so much depth to her characters and show their human side as opposed to their almighty warrior side. Achilles. Everyone knows the story of Achilles. A legendary hero, conceited and arrogant, the great warrior of the Trojan War. In “The Song of Achilles”, however, this isn’t so much the case. In this story his insecurities are exposed and his tender nature comes out to shine, especially as it is told from his lover’s perspective. For example, how Achilles’ “face twisted with embarrassment… such a boyish response… and so human.” From Patroclus’ perspective, Achilles is described as being beautiful and graceful instead of the boastful legendary hero.

In this novel, Achilles is determined and worried about his great destiny; that he will become the greatest warrior.

He is unsure of his fate and would do anything in his power to execute Agamemnon to be the one and only mighty leader of the Greek army. In order to do this though, he needs time. Achilles is worried that he will run out of time and his legend will be lost, his name and legacy… faded and forgotten like footprints once present on a shore. In other versions of “The Iliad”, Achilles acts childishly and this one does not differ. One difference, however, is the way in which she has given reason and explanation to Achilles actions which sparked my empathy towards

Achilles.

The audience for this novel would be young adults and older as the language used is quite sophisticated and contains mature themes. It would also be recommended for people who have knowledge or are interested in Greek mythology however this knowledge is not required in order to enjoy reading this. It is successful for the fact that it is engaging due to the range of techniques used and due to its unique take on the characters.

Although I had an inkling about what was going to happen at the end, I was still caught off guard when it happened. The way in which Patroclus acted to save Achilles was beautifully tragic and it communicates the undeniable love that he had for Achilles and the people of the Achaean camp. Miller’s character development for Patroclus was steady as he developed into a responsible and admirable warrior from a delicate, passive boy. The ending was a heart-wrenching scene which captured, in my opinion, the mortal side of the Achilles the best as his ‘imperfections’, his hard-headed and merciless immortal self was taken over by humane emotions of hatred and angst. I was able to read this and feel both sympathetic and empathetic towards him but also to Patroclus for having to do what he did and suffered through what he was not deserving of. This novel really did change my perspective of the characters as I never really thought of and acknowledged these different aspects to them.